There are no doubts that the Rock is quite simply one of the greatest professional wrestlers in the history of the industry.
A man so charismatic, with a great look, and a wrestling pedigree that only others wrestlers can dream of.
The Rock was easily one of the biggest names in professional wrestling from 1997-2003. He may even go down as one of the most "over" wrestlers in the history of the business.
2003 meet 2013.
Now, before you say anything derogatory, please read with caution. This is not a slight on The Rock, this is not to insinuate he's not still "over" and that he can't still work an excellent match in the ring.
The Rock's return for Wrestlemania XXVII was one of the biggest returns in the history of the WWE. He was the guest "host" for the event and his return on Monday Night Raw was historic. Many knew of the personal jabs John Cena had taken towards him and were anxious to her his retort towards him. The Rock did not disappoint as this set up the match between John Cena vs The Miz for the WWE Championship with the The Rock nearby.
Now while it was not The Rock's fault that Wrestlemania XXVII was one of the worst incarnations in the history of the event, but he really did nothing more than give the fans a chance to see him in person at the show itself. The Rock ended up costing John Cena his title shot against The Miz, overshadowing the match itself and showing the world that The Miz really was not the same calibre of personality or performer that either of the other two participants is.
The following night on Monday Night Raw, it was announced that The Rock would face John Cena at Wrestlemania XXVIII and there would be an entire year to build this matchup. The internet was a buzz as the newest "Dream Match" was about to take place.
Many people have varying opinions of the build and the match itself, but there is no denying that it was successful. Wrestlemania XXVIII reached record buys on Pay Per View and The Rock vs John Cena was one of the loudest matches from a fans perspective that there has ever been at the event itself.
The problem that people in 2013 with The Rock is simple….it's that he is The Rock from the 1990's and the early 2000's. The man with tons of catch phrases and the ability to get the crowd to chant anything he wants them to. Some fans don't like #bootstoasses or #cookiepuss but these kind of catch phrases are selling t-shirts and bringing in millions of dollars of revenue to the super power that is the WWE. The Rock may not have changed much in the way of presentation, but the people never forgot "The People's Champion".
There was a lot of talk after Wrestlemania XXVIII when The Rock (fresh off his Wrestlemania win over John Cena) stated that he would challenge CM Punk for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble as CM Punk is the epitome of an Internet darling at the time of this writing. While The Rock has always been labelled as "The People's Champion", CM Punk is really this era's "People's Champion" as most "Smart Fans" and "Internet Marks" believe he truly is "The Best in the World".
The Rock versus CM Punk truly was an epic affair and The Rock proved that he is still able to "Bring It" in the ring. During the match, The Rock received a massive amount of cheers, but CM Punk proved that even the most hardened villains have their fans as well as he was cheering huge during this match. In the end, The Rock won the WWE Championship for the first time in over 10 years and many of the mainstream fans went home happy.
So, this brings up a unique question. Is The Rock still relevant in 2013?
Some may say yes, some may say no. But one thing is for certain….people are still watching.
No comments:
Post a Comment